An assembly for a vehicle door, the assembly including a housing containing a back-up camera and at least one of an exterior light and a manually operable release operative to effect the opening of the vehicle door.
|
1. An assembly for a vehicle door, the assembly comprising:
a housing containing a back-up camera, a manually operable release actuatable by a user to effect opening of the vehicle door, and two lights for providing illumination outside of the housing;
wherein the housing is adapted to be mounted to the vehicle door and comprises an opening or window therein through which a lens of the back-up camera is exposed to the exterior of the housing;
wherein further the two lights are disposed in an area of the housing that is positioned closer to the vehicle door than the back-up camera lens opening or window, and the manually operable release is positioned in the housing between the two lights.
7. An assembly for a vehicle door, the assembly comprising:
a housing containing a back-up camera, a manually operable release actuatable by a user to effect opening of the vehicle door, and two lights, the housing comprising a first housing component formed monolithically with a partial section of the vehicle door and a second housing component affixed to the first housing component, the second housing component at least partially light-transmissive;
wherein the first housing component comprises an opening or window therein through which a lens of the back-up camera is exposed to the exterior of the housing;
wherein further the two lights are disposed in the second housing component and positioned closer to the vehicle door than the back-up camera lens opening or window, and the manually operable release is positioned between the two lights.
3. The assembly of
6. The assembly of
9. The assembly of
12. The assembly of
13. The assembly of
|
The present regular utility patent application is related to, and claims the benefit of priority from, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/747,944, filed 31 Dec. 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The invention relates to vehicle back-up cameras and, more particularly, to an assembly for a vehicle door, such as a tailgate, trunk, etc., the assembly comprising a housing containing a backup camera and at least one of an exterior light and a manually operable release operative to effect the opening of the vehicle door.
Some vehicles, and more particularly automobiles, include a camera positioned on or proximate the rear of the vehicle in order to provide images of the environment immediately behind the vehicle to a monitor positioned within the vehicle in view of the driver. The images seen by the driver are horizontally flipped from those taken by the backup camera so as to make the images orientation consistent with the images the driver sees in the rearview and side-view mirrors.
These cameras, commonly referred to as “backup cameras,” are becoming more and more prevalent as they greatly aid safely driving the vehicle in reverse. Indeed, the National Highways Transportation and Safety Administration is calling for regulations to make backup cameras a mandatory feature in all automobiles sold in the United States beginning in 2014.
Conventionally, backup cameras are discretely and unobtrusively positioned on or adjacent the rear of the vehicle where they provide a good view of the environment immediately behind the vehicle. Typically, this is on or near a trim component provided across at least part of the rear of a vehicle's trunk or tailgate.
Disclosed herein is an assembly for a vehicle door, the assembly comprising a housing containing a back-up camera and at least one of an exterior light and a manually operable release operative to effect the opening of the vehicle door.
Per one feature, the exterior light comprises at least one LED.
The manually operable release may, in one embodiment, comprise a circuit board including a capacitive sensor and a switch, the switch operable to effect opening of the vehicle door when the capacitive sensor detects the presence of a user's hand. The circuit board may be a flexible circuit board. Per this embodiment, the at least one exterior light may comprise an LED positioned on the circuit board.
The manually operable release may, in another embodiment, comprise a handle operably connectable to a latch mechanism to effect opening of the vehicle door.
Per another feature of the present invention, the housing contains both at least one exterior light and at least a light-transmissive lens portion through which the at least one exterior light is capable of transmitting light.
In one embodiment, the housing contains each of a back-up camera, at least one exterior light, and a manually operable release operative to effect the opening of the vehicle door.
In another embodiment, the vehicle door assembly comprises at least a partial section of the vehicle door, the at least partial vehicle door section including a housing containing a back-up camera and at least one of an exterior light and a manually operable release operative to effect the opening of the vehicle door. The at least partial section of the vehicle door may, in one version, define a section of the vehicle door proximate the rear license plate holder, with the at least one exterior light oriented to illuminate the rear license plate.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood with reference to the specification and accompanying drawings, of which:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is disclosed in a first embodiment (
According to the illustrated example, the assembly 10 is a self-contained structure secured to at least a partial section 50 of a vehicle door (not depicted in its entirety). The partial door section 50 as shown for exemplary purposes defines a section of the vehicle door proximate the rear license plate holder (illustrated, for purposes of orientation, at 60, showing the dimensions of an American-style license plate, and 65, showing the dimensions of a European-style license plate). Further according to the illustrated embodiment, the assembly 10 is secured to the partial door section 50 proximate the vehicle's fore and aft centerline, this orientation serving not only to position the assembly 10 so as to be able to adequately illuminate the vehicle's license plate (e.g., 60, 65), but also to be able to maximize the rearward field of view of the camera 20. It may also be seen from the drawings that, in the orientation depicted, the camera 20 is oriented to face slightly downward toward the base of the vehicle. However, it will be understood that while the foregoing exemplifies one orientation thereof, alternative placements of the assembly 10 are possible.
Referring particularly to
Housing 15 may be fashioned from any suitable material or materials, including, for instance, polymers (e.g., ABS plastic), metal, or combinations thereof.
Housing 15 includes one or more tabs 16a and 16b, each defining an opening therethrough, as shown, for receiving a fastener so that the housing can be secured to the partial door section 50 (not shown in
An opening or window 17 is provided in the housing and, more specifically according to the illustrated embodiment, in the opaque component 15a. This opening or window 17 is aligned with the lens of camera 20 in the assembled state of the invention so that the camera 20 can function to capture images from the environment immediately behind the vehicle.
Camera 20 is of conventional construction and, as depicted, includes means (such as the illustrated tabs 21a, 21b) permitting its securement, such as via fasteners, to the partial door section 50 (via tab 21a) and to the housing 15 (via tab 21b).
As shown best in
With continued reference to
The circuit board 35 may be a conventional, flexible circuit board, as depicted, or a rigid, printed circuit board of more typical construction.
Alternatively, the manually operable release may, in another embodiment, comprise a conventional mechanical handle assembly operably connectable to a latch mechanism to effect opening of the vehicle door. Such mechanical handle assemblies are known.
The at least one exterior light 30 may comprise any type of light, including one or more LEDs, OLEDs, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one light 30 comprises at least a pair of LEDs, each positioned on the circuit board 35 so as to be activated (i.e., selectively illuminated or not) and powered thereby in conventional fashion (such as, for instance, when a user unlocks the vehicle via a key fob remote, activates exterior vehicle lighting via a key fob remote, etc.).
Turning next to
As shown best in
To the opaque portion 15a′ of the housing 15′ is affixed the at least partially transparent portion 15b′ so as to span the opening 51′ (as best shown in
Camera 20′ includes means (such as the illustrated tabs 21a′, 21b′) permitting its securement, such as via fasteners, to the partial door section 50′ (via tab 21a′) and to the housing 15′ (via tab 21b′).
Optionally, the housing 15′ may be fashioned as a single element, monolithically formed with the door section 50′ (or some portion thereof). According to this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the light-transmissive portion 15b′ may, for instance, be defined by windows formed either as separate elements secured to the housing 15′ or, alternatively, the housing 15′ may be fashioned from a light-transmissive material over a portion of which is defined (such as, for instance, by painting) as mask to define the opaque portions.
Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure, all of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
11852286, | Nov 17 2020 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Sensor bracket structure |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
4069490, | Mar 17 1975 | KEYSTONE CAMERA CORPORATION A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE; CONCORD CAMERA CORP , A NEW JERSEY CORPORATION | Camera construction |
4896136, | Dec 14 1987 | Creation Windows, Inc. | Combination brake light and interior light for mounting on the door of a truck cap |
6186653, | May 18 1999 | Delphi Technologies, Inc | Door mounted courtesy light fixture and assembly |
6402354, | Jun 28 1999 | Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. | Indirect lighting system for vehicle interior |
6542071, | Nov 09 1999 | Mazda Motor Corporation | Opening-closing member control apparatus for vehicle |
7576631, | Oct 26 2004 | ADAC Plastics, Inc. | Vehicular keyless entry system incorporating textual representation of the vehicle or user of the vehicle |
7984938, | Mar 16 2006 | Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha | Door handle device for vehicle |
8131429, | Feb 02 2009 | Driver observation and security system and method therefor | |
8830317, | Nov 23 2011 | Robert Bosch GmbH; Robert Bosch LLC | Position dependent rear facing camera for pickup truck lift gates |
8963701, | Aug 09 2007 | Automotive vehicle early open door warning system | |
20030053317, | |||
20090273941, | |||
20110227712, | |||
20120020099, | |||
20120020100, | |||
20120039082, | |||
20130130674, | |||
20140168437, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Dec 30 2013 | ADAC Plastics, Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Dec 22 2017 | BINGLE, ROB | ADAC PLASTICS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 044856 | /0761 |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
May 04 2024 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Nov 04 2024 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
May 04 2025 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
May 04 2027 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
May 04 2028 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Nov 04 2028 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
May 04 2029 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
May 04 2031 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
May 04 2032 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Nov 04 2032 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
May 04 2033 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
May 04 2035 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |